New Evaristo Club (aka Trisha's aka The Hideout)

The real deal in Soho. In 2001 seasoned Liverpudlian Trisha Bergonzi took over this basement 'hole' and transformed it into the kind of unaffected and spontaneous place restless urbanites (and suburbanites) fantasise about. It's just an L-shaped room with walls smothered in framed photos of Sinatra, the Pope, Dean Martin and other Italianate icons, plus a cosy outdoor smoking area. And the atmosphere's great. About two years into her reign, gay/lesbian-friendly Trisha decided to devote Sunday nights to her special friends. Cue gay person Luke, who took over on Sundays, with the playlist tweaked in the direction of ambient. But by 2018 the Sunday gay vibe had gone a bit muted, with Luke having to bow out owing to health reasons. And yet this cellar bar is never without a certain appeal; there's a palpable buzz and a 1960s/70s soundtrack that jibes with the visceral quality of this one-off place that closes officially at 1.30am (but often takes a further half-hour to wind down). Occasional bouts of live music. There's no sign out front — just a black door (formerly light blue) marked '57'. It's something of a best-kept secret, though the fact that Madonna posted a video of her son Rocco dancing here on 11 August 2019 for his 19th birthday could spell trouble. Located about 20 seconds south of Soho Square, 40 seconds north of Old Compton St.